Hand-rail.



J. M. BRADY.

HAND RAIL.

APPHCATION FILED on. 12, 1917,

Patentediune 4C, 191%.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES- you-enter. cars, although obviously it usedin connection with any other, door canton,

JAMES M. BRADY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HAND-RAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June a, 191%..

Application filed October 12, 1917. Serial No. 196,205.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs M. BRADY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of'NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand- Rails,of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to hand rails, and more particularly to thoseused in connection with exit doors of cars.

The main object of the invention is to so construct a hand rail for useby passengers in leaving cars that it will be in housed position out ofsight when the door in connection with which it is used is closed andwill automatically move outward into position for use on the opening ofthe door.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combi nation andarrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescopeof what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation partlyin section of a compartment having a sliding door equipped with thisinvention, parts being broken out.

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section taken on the line2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation. of an arm of the hand rail, and

Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary elevation showing the hand rail shiftingmeans.

In the embodiment illustrated a sliding door 1 is shown such as is usedin pay-as may be opening. This door is adapted to slide back in guidesin the usual manner. when open and when closed abuts the jamb 2, thedoor as shown in Fig. 1 being partially open.

The jamb 2 is shown made hollow and .mounted to slide transverselytherein are two arms 3 and 4 which project laterally from a hand rail 5positioned outside the jamb 2 and which is designed to lie within thegroove 6 when the rail is in retracted position. These arms 3 and 4 areprovided adjacent their free ends with laterally projecting pins orstuds 7 between which and the inner face of the door jamb are positionedcoiled springs as S which are in the form of expansion springs and exerttheir tension to normally force the arms 3 and 1 inward thereby carryingthe rail 5 with them and causing it to lie in the groove 6 where it iscompletely housed and out of sight.

Mounted to move in the path of the spring pressed arms 3 and 4 of therail 5 are a pair of cams 9 and 10 carried by a slide 11. This slide 11is in the form of a block and has oppositely disposed grooves 12 in itssides which are designed to receive the inturned flanges 13 of aguideway 14 in which said slide is mounted, (see Fig. 2 The cam faces 9and 10 incline inwardly and up wardly as is shown clearly in Fig. 1 andat their upper ends are provided with recesses 15 which are designed toreceive anti-friction rollers 3 and 4 on the ends of the arms 3 and awhen said slide is in its extreme lowered position thereby permittingsaid arms to move into the hollow jamb 8 a suiiicient distance tocompletely house the rail 5 by which they are carried in the groove 6 sothat the door 1 may be closed without interference.

A coiled pull spring 16 is connected at one end with the bottom of thecar and at its other end with the lower end of slide 11 and exerts itstension to normally hold said slide in lowered retracted position sothat the recesses'15 are normally disposed opposite the arms 3 and 4 ofthe railing 5 and when said slide is moved upwardly the cam faces 9 and10 thereof engage the rollers on the free ends of the arms 3 and 4 andforce said arms outwardly against the tension of their springs 8 therebycausing the rail 5 to move automatically into position ready for use asis shown clearly in Fig. 1, this view showing the rail in partlyprojected position only as will be obvious.

A cable 17 is connected at one end with the upper end of the slide 11and passes over a pulley 18 mounted in the upper end of the door jamb 2and then extends horiright hand corner of the door 1 as shown at 19.From this construction it will be seen that when the door 1 is opened itwill exert a pull on the cable 17 and thereby elevate the slide 11against the tension of its spring zontally and is connected with theupper 16, bringing the cam faces 9 and 10 of said slide into engagementwith the free ends of the spring pressed arms 3 and 4 of the railingthereby forcing said railing outwardly into position for use by thepassengers leaving the car. When the door is closed a pull exerted byspring 16 will operate the lower slide 11 and thereby position therecesses 15 therein opposite the arms 3 and i of the rail and permitsaid rail to move inwardly to its extreme retracted position under theaction of the springs 8.

This device is constructed to overcome the disadvantages of the presentfront exit doors of cars which have handles on the inside and which arefrequently grasped by passengers in leaving the car to assist them intheir descent which oftentimes results in breaking or straining of thepassengers wrists. Moreover, these inside handles are objectionable inthat they catch in buttons or other parts of the clothing of thepassengers and result disastrously. On the other hand, with the carswhich have permanent handles outside and steps perntianently loweredthere is a tendency of passengers to jump on the car and when findingthe door fastened, accidents result.

This device which greatly assists passengers in making their exit from acar can only be used when the car door is open as obviously from theabove description it will be housed within the groove 6 and out of sightwhen the door is closed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction andof themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention together with the device which Inow consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that suchchanges may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim l. The combination with a door frame; of a projectable membernormally housed therein, a door, and means operable on the opening ofthe door to project saidmember.

2. The combination with a door frame; of a projectable member normallyhoused therein, a door, means whereby said member is held in retractedLhous'ed position while the door is closed, and means controlled by theopening of the door to project said member.

3. The combination with a door jamb; of a rail having an arm movablelaterally. into and out of said jamb, means for normally holding saidarm within the jamb whereby the rail is retracted, a cam positioned inthe path of said arm, and a connection between said cam and said doorwhereby on the opening of the door the cam is moved into engagement withsaid arm for forcing said rail outward.

4. The combination with a door j amb, a hand rail having a laterallyextending arm movable into and out of said jamb, a coiled spring mountedon said arm for normally holding it in retracted position, a cammovablein the pathof said arm, a spring normally holding said cam out ofengagement with said arm, a door, and a connection between said door andcam whereby the open ing of the door causes said cam to move intoengagement with said arm for projecting saidrail.

5. The combination with a door frame having a hollow jamb, a doormovable towardand away from said jamb, a handrail disposed outside saidjamb and having an arm extendingtransversely thereinto, aslide mountedto movein said j amb, guides in said jamb with which said 'slide isengaged, yieldable means normally holding said slide in retractedposition, out of engagement w th said arm, and a flexible elementconnecting said slide and said door whereby on the opening of the doorthe cam is movedinto engagementwith the arm and said rail projected.

6. The combination with .a door frame having a hollow amb provided onits inner face with alongitudinally extending groove, the inner wall ofsaid groove having longitudinally spaced apertures therein communieatingwith the interior of the j amlo, a hand rail adapted to lie in saidgroove when 1n inoperative position and provided with laterallyextending arms slidably mounted n said apertures, springs connected withsaid arms for normally forcing the rail lnward, a slide mounted to movelongitudinally in said j amb and havinglongitudinallyspaced camspositioned for engagement w th the arms of said rail when in one positon, re-

cesses at the ends of said cams to receive said arms when the slide isin another position, a door,and a connection between said door and slidewhereby the cams are moved into contact with said arms on the opening ofthe doorthereby foreingthe rail into projected operative position.

,7. The combination with a hollow door jambfa door, a guide in said jambhav ng laterally spaced inturned flanges, a slide having grooves forengagement 'w1th sa1d flanges, cams carried by said. shde 1n recesses attheiriupper ends, a coiled spring connectmg said slide with the fixedsupport and exerting its tension to hold it normally in retract'edposition, a hand raillocated outside said jamb fand having laterallyextending arms slidably mounted transversely in the jamb and positionedin the path of; said cams, means fornormally holding said rail inretracted position, and a connection be tween said slide and doorwhereby the cams of the slide are brought into engagement with said armson the opening of the door for projecting the rail.

8. The combination with a door frame having a hollow j amb provided onits inner face with a longitudinally extending groove, the inner wall ofsaid groove having longitudinally spaced apertures therein communicatingwith the interior of the jamb, a hand rail adapted to lie in said groovewhen in inoperative position and provided with laterally extending armsslidably mounted in said apertures, springs connected with said arms fornormally forcing the rail inward, a. slide mounted to movelongitudinally in said jamb and having longitudinally spaced camspositioned for engagement with the arms of said rail when in oneposition, rollers on the ends of said arms bearing on said cams,recesses at the ends of said cams to receive said arms when the slide isin another position, a door, and a connection between said door andslide whereby the cams are moved into contact with said arms on theopening of the door thereby forcing the rail into projected operativeposition.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. BRADY.

Witnesses THOMAS MULHERN, AGNES KENNY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

